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Keys to History

Categories of LighthousesLighthouses in Canada generally fall into one of four categories:

1. landfall lights, which mark the entry to shipping lanes and are equipped with very powerful lights. Generally used offshore, they are the first points of reference for ships entering and leaving the navigation system.

2. major coastal lights, which mark the entry to major harbours or the mouths of principal rivers. Their lights are powerful, but less so than those in landfall lights.

3. secondary coastal lights, which mark navigable waterways or shoals (like shallow water or sandbars) and are installed on points, wharfs and jetties, or on the shoal itself.

4. harbour entry lighthouses, which indicate where to enter a port facility.

What

The small wooden lighthouse that can be seen on the wharf of the port of Montreal is a harbour lighthouse. The lamps in these lighthouses are usually not as strong as those in major coastal lighthouses.

Where

Small lighthouses such as this one are found in most Canadian harbours, large and small. In addition, these square or octagonal wooden towers are found at the entry to waterways like canals, or at the head of the municipal wharf in towns along the coast.

When

Lighthouses such as the one in this photograph date from the second half of the 19th century. The port of Montreal was a bustling place at that time.

Who

Montreal's lighthouses were originally run by Trinity House, but came under federal government management after Confederation in 1867.